BBC Sport journalist, Matthew Renton expects Newcastle United to make a big change in the near future.
Speaking on ‘The Magpie Channel TV’, Renton believes that a change to the badge is ‘inevitable’.
Newcastle has had their current badge since 1988, meaning it’s been on their shirt for almost 35 years. The Magpies now have the oldest badge in the Premier League, it was previously Norwich City, but they changed theirs back in June and were also relegated that season.
Renton thinks the owners didn’t want to make the change straight away, but now they’ve been in charge of Newcastle for over a year, it could very well happen.
He stated (5:25), “But I can see it changing [the badge]. I think it’s inevitable that it changes or at least gets a little bit of a freshen-up because like I say 35 years, the new owners are probably going to want to put their stamp on things, smart not doing it straight away. Don’t want to disrupt the noise, disrupt the fan base. We wouldn’t do it in the first year, been over a year now. I wouldn’t be surprised if we did it next summer.”
TIF’s view on Renton’s comments…
We believe that a new badge could well be a likely possibility, with so many clubs changing theirs in recent years, Newcastle may follow suit.
It’s going to be difficult bringing a new one in, especially when you consider that so many fans have grown up with it on the black and white shirt for their entire lives.
Under the previous owner, Mike Ashley, the thought of this would’ve scared a lot of supporters. However, under the current ownership, there’s a lot more trust in their decision-making.
There seems to be a very close split amongst Newcastle supporters when it comes to a changing of the badge. In a survey conducted by The Chronicle, 45.5% of people wanted to see an update, 43.2% wanted it to be kept the same and 11.4% were unsure.
PIF should definitely consult and involve the fans when developing a new badge. We’ve seen clubs get it horribly wrong in the past, for example, Leeds United attempted to update their crest, but it was received with a large amount of negative backlash.
Change is often a necessity in football, but Newcastle’s owners need to get it right. If they don’t consider the fans, it could turn their relationship with them very sour.